1 Kings 10
Easy-to-Read Version
The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon
10 The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon, so she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She traveled to Jerusalem with a very large group of servants. There were many camels carrying spices, jewels, and a lot of gold. She met Solomon and asked him all the questions that she could think of. 3 Solomon answered all the questions. None of her questions was too hard for him to explain. 4 The queen of Sheba saw that Solomon was very wise. She also saw the beautiful palace he had built. 5 She saw the food at the king’s table. She saw his officials meeting together. She saw the servants in the palace and the good clothes they wore. She saw his parties and the sacrifices that he offered in the Lord’s Temple. She was so amazed, she could hardly breathe!
6 Then she said to King Solomon, “The stories I heard in my country about your great works and your wisdom are true. 7 I did not believe it until I came and saw it with my own eyes. Now I see that it is even greater than what I heard. Your wealth and wisdom are much greater than people told me. 8 Your wives[a] and officers are very fortunate, because they serve you and hear your wisdom every day. 9 Praise the Lord your God! He was pleased to make you king of Israel. Because of the Lord’s unending love for Israel, he has made you king to rule with justice and fairness.”
10 Then the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon 4 1/2 tons[b] of gold, a huge amount of spices, and precious stones. She gave him more spices than anyone has ever brought into Israel.
11 Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir. They also brought jewels and a special kind of wood.[c] 12 Solomon used this special wood to build supports in the Temple and the palace as well as harps and lyres for the singers. That was the last time such a large shipment of that kind of wood was brought to Israel. There hasn’t been any seen around here since then.[d]
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she asked for. He gave her more than she brought to give him. Then the queen of Sheba and her servants left and went back to their own country.
Solomon’s Great Wealth
14 Every year King Solomon received almost 25 tons[e] of gold. 15 In addition to the gold brought in by the traveling merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land also brought gold and silver to Solomon.
16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold. He used about 15 pounds[f] of gold for each shield. 17 He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold. He used almost 4 pounds[g] of gold for each shield. The king put them in the Forest-of-Lebanon House.[h]
18 King Solomon also built a large throne with ivory decorations. It was covered with pure gold. 19 There were six steps leading up to the throne. The back of the throne was round at the top. There were armrests on both sides of the throne, and there were lions in the sides of the throne under the armrests. 20 There were also two lions on each of the six steps, one at each end. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.
21 All of Solomon’s cups and glasses were made of gold, and all the dishes[i] in the building called the Forest of Lebanon were made from pure gold. Nothing in the palace was made from silver. There was so much gold that in Solomon’s time people did not think silver was important.
22 The king also had many cargo ships[j] that he sent out to trade things with other countries. These were Hiram’s ships. Every three years the ships would come back with a new load of gold, silver, ivory, and apes and baboons.
23 King Solomon became greater in riches and wisdom than any other king on earth. 24 People everywhere wanted to see King Solomon and listen to the great wisdom that God had given him. 25 Every year people came to see the king and brought gifts made from gold and silver, clothes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
26 Solomon had a great number of chariots and horses. He had 1400 chariots and 12,000 horse soldiers. He built special cities for these chariots. So the chariots were kept in these cities. King Solomon also kept some of the chariots with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made Israel very rich. In the city of Jerusalem, silver was as common as rocks and cedar wood was as common as the many fig trees growing on the hills. 28 Solomon brought horses from Egypt and Kue. His traders bought them in Kue and brought them to Israel. 29 A chariot from Egypt cost about 15 pounds of silver, and a horse cost almost 4 pounds[k] of silver. Solomon sold horses and chariots to the kings of the Hittites and the Arameans.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 10:8 wives This is from the ancient Greek version. The Hebrew text has “men.”
- 1 Kings 10:10 4 1/2 tons Literally, “120 talents” (4140 kg).
- 1 Kings 10:11 special … wood Literally, “almug.” No one knows exactly what type of wood this was, but it might have been sandalwood.
- 1 Kings 10:12 since then Literally, “to this day,” that is, when the book of Kings was written.
- 1 Kings 10:14 almost 25 tons Literally, “666 talents” (22,977 kg).
- 1 Kings 10:16 about 15 pounds Literally, “600 shekels” (6.9 kg). Also in verse 29.
- 1 Kings 10:17 almost 4 pounds Literally, “3 minas” (1.7kg).
- 1 Kings 10:17 Forest-of-Lebanon House The largest of king Solomon’s palace buildings. See 1 Kings 7:2-5.
- 1 Kings 10:21 dishes The Hebrew word can mean “dishes,” “tools,” or “weapons.”
- 1 Kings 10:22 cargo ships Literally, “ships of Tarshish.”
- 1 Kings 10:29 almost 4 pounds Literally, “150 shekels” (1.725 kg).
1 Kings 10
World English Bible
10 When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning Yahweh’s name, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great caravan, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart. 3 Solomon answered all her questions. There wasn’t anything hidden from the king which he didn’t tell her. 4 When the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food of his table, the sitting of his servants, the attendance of his officials, their clothing, his cup bearers, and his ascent by which he went up to Yahweh’s house, there was no more spirit in her. 6 She said to the king, “It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom. 7 However, I didn’t believe the words until I came and my eyes had seen it. Behold, not even half was told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard. 8 Happy are your men, happy are these your servants who stand continually before you, who hear your wisdom. 9 Blessed is Yahweh your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel. Because Yahweh loved Israel forever, therefore he made you king, to do justice and righteousness.” 10 She gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was there such an abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 The fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought in from Ophir great quantities of almug trees[a] and precious stones. 12 The king made of the almug trees pillars for Yahweh’s house and for the king’s house, harps also and stringed instruments for the singers; no such almug trees came or were seen to this day.
13 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, in addition to that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.
14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents[b] of gold, 15 in addition to that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country. 16 King Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels[c] of gold went to one buckler. 17 He made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas[d] of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. 18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold. 19 There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. Nothing like it was made in any kingdom. 21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver, because it was considered of little value in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
23 So King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 All the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, every man brought his tribute, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules.
26 Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. He kept them in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and cedars as common as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland. 28 The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt. The king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price. 29 A chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels[e] of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty shekels; and so they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria.
Footnotes
- 10:11 possibly an Indian sandalwood, with nice grain and a pleasant scent, and good for woodworking
- 10:14 A talent is about 30 kilograms or 66 pounds or 965 Troy ounces, so 666 talents is about 20 metric tons
- 10:16 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.32 Troy ounces, so 600 shekels is about 6 kilograms or 13.2 pounds or 192 Troy ounces.
- 10:17 A mina is about 600 grams or 1.3 U. S. pounds.
- 10:29 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.
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